Paper feed mechanism



g- 2, 1932- E. w. SIBLEY 1,870,197

PAPER FEED MECHANISM Filed March 5, 1929 *2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @ZJAGRLMJLAiiorneg g- 2, 1932- E. w. SIBLEY 1,870,197

PAPER FEED MECHANISM Filed March 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug.2, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD W. BIBLEY, OI

KENMORE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB T REMINGTON BAND INC,

01 BUFFALO, NEW YORK PAPER FEED MECHANISM Application filed March 5,1929. Serial No. 344,481.

- This invention relates to mechanism for feeding paper and otherflexible material and has particular relation to mechanism forintermittently feeding a strip or ribbon of paper or the like to adevice which separates it into sections of predetermined length orperforms some other operation thereon;

One of the objects of the present invention -is to provide a paperfeeding mechanism of the character described which will intermittentlyfeed a strip of paper with an accelerating and decelerating rate ofmotion at the commencement and conclusion of each feeding operationwhereb slippage heretofore encountered between t e paper and the feedingmechanism-caused by the sudden starting and stopping thereof isminimized.

. Another object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described so constructed and arranged that the length of thefeeding stroke is constant notwithstanding inaccuracies due to wear orlost motion between the several driving elements.

A further objectof the invention is to provide a mechanism of thecharacter descr1bed that is simple and rugged in construction andarrangement and which may be quickly attached to or incorporated in amachine designed to perform various operations on the paper such ascutting it into predetermined lengths, for card indexes, or for printingand perforating the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of aportion of a paper feeding mechanism constructed in accordance w1th thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Flg. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of Fi 2.

Referring to the rawings, a feeding mechanism constructed in accordancewith theinvention is shown as comprising a bracket having side members 1and 2' which are secured at their inner ends to a portion of the frame 3of the machine with which the a paratus is employed and which areconnecte at their forward ends by a transverse member 4. A shaft 5 isrotatably mounted atone end in a bearing 6 provided in the frame 3, andat the other end thereof in a sleeve 7 which is fixed in the member 4.This shaft is connected at its inner end by a coupling 8 to one end of ashaft 9 journalled in bearings 10 and 11 of the machine. The shaft 9 isa part of the feeding mechanism of the machine with which the presentdevice is employed and carries a pair of paper feed rollers 12 forfrictional engagement with the edges of a strip or ribbon of paper 13.The paper 13 is maintained in contact with the rollers 12 by means of apair of rollers 14 which are fixed to a shaft 15. This shaft isrotatably mounted at its outer ends in ball bearings 16 which are inturn mounted for vertical slidmg movement in uides 17. The rollers 14are maintained in rictional engagement with the paper 13 by means ofsprmgs 18 which bear upon the slide bearings 16 and urge themdownwardly.

A gear wheel 19 is rotatably mounted on the sleeve 7 and carries an arm20 upon which a pawl 21 is pivotally mounted for operative engagementwith a ratchet wheel 22. The

. ratchet wheel 22is fixed to the shaft 5 and is formed with a centralcylindrical portion 23 and a pair of oppositely extending arcuateflanges 24 and 25, the flange 24 being provided with pawl engagingshoulders 26 and so 27 and the flange 25 having pawl engagin shoulders26' and 27 The pawl 21 is urge inwardly against a stop pin 28 and intothe path of movement of the shoulder 26 by means of a leaf spring 29which is secured to the arm 20 bymeans of screws 30.

The gear wheel 19 is rotated alternately in opposite directions by meansof a rack bar 31 which is maintained in intermeshin engagement therewithby a track or gui e 32. This guide is formed with a hub portion 33 wh1chis mounted for oscillatory move ment upon the sleeve 7. v

The lower end of the rack bar 31 is pivotally connected to a crank arm34 v(Fig. 1) which is fixed to a shaft 35 of the machine. The rotationof the arm 34 during the normal operation of the machine reciprocatesthe rack bar 31 within the uide member 32 with an accelerating anddecelerating rate 191! of movement at the commencement and conclusion ofeach stroke thereof thus imparting a corresponding accelerating anddecelerating rotary motion to the gear wheel 19 and the parts driventhereby.

With particular reference to Fig. 1 .in the drawings, it will be notedthat as the crank arm 34 rotates upwardly from the position shown on itsinactive stroke, the gear 19 will first be caused to rotate in a.counter-clockwise direction, carrying with it the arm 20 and the pawl21. The ratio between the circumference of the gear 19 and the throw ofthe rack bar 31, as determined by the length of the crank arm 34, issuch that with each re ciprocation of the rack 31, the gear 19 will berotated slightly more than one complete rotation so as to insure thatthe pawl 21 will drop behind the shoulder 26 of the ratchet wheel 32. Atthis point, the direction of rotation of the gear is reversed by thedownward movement of the rack bar 31. Through the first half of thedownward movement of the rack bar 31 or during the first 90 of rotationof. the crank 34, the speed of the ar 19 is constantly accelerating.During the last half of the movement of the rack bar 31, the s eedthereof and that of the arts driven t ereby is constantly deceleratmg.By reason of this accelerating and decelerating movement of the s acingmechanism, the stri 13 driven by t e rollers 12 is intermittently fedwith a gradually increasing and decreasing rate of movement at thebeginning and conclusion of each stroke, thereby minimizing thepossibility of slippage between the paper and its drivinginstrumentalities, and also eliminating wear occasioned b the suddenstopping and starting of the mec anism.

In order to prevent the ratchet wheel 22 from overrunning due tolooseness in the several parts or the inertia of the parts themselves atthe conclusion of the active stroke of the rack 31 and gear wheel 19, apawl or stop member 36 is ivotally mounted upon the frame 3, as at 3.for engagement with the shoulder 27 of 'the flange 24. A rod 38 isprovided with a yoke 39 at its upper end for pivotal engagement with thepawl 36 and is slidably mounted at its lower end in a lug 40 provided onthe frame 3. This rod is normally urged upwardly to maintain the pawl 36in engagement with a stop pin 41 by means of a coil spring 42 whichencircles the rod 38 between the lug 40 and the yoke 39. The tensionexerted by this spring is suflicient to provide a substantiall resilientsto for the ratchet when the shou der 27 carried thereby en ages thepawl 36 but is adapted to yield su ciently to permit the flange 24 topass by the pawl 11 on the positive movement of the rack 31. T isconstruction insures that the motion of the ratchet wheel 22 and partsdriven thereby will be arrested each time the crank 34 passes deadcenter at the conclusion of its feeding stroke, notwithstanding an lostmotion which may exist or may deve op in the driving elements.

At the commencement of the downward stroke of the rack 31, the gear 19first takes up the space between the pawl 21 and the shoulder 26 of theratchet wheel 22 and then begins to rotate the ratchet wheel 22 in aclockwise direction. The shoulder 27 of the flange 25 simultaneouslydepresses the pawl 36 against the action of the spring 42 until the soulder 27 snaps over the pawl 36. The ratchet wheel 22 continues torotate until the shoulder 27 re-engages the pawl .36 which at this pointacts as aresilient abutment tending to maintain the ratchet wheel 22 inpositive enga ement with the pawl 21 and prevents bac r lash between thegear and rack and other mechanical'inaccuracies from evidencingthemselves in the amount of throw transmitted by the pawl 21.

The ratchet wheel 22 is prevented from rotating backwardly upon thereturn or inactive stroke of the rack 31 by means of a roller 43 whichis disposed between the cylindrical portion 22 of the ratchet wheel 22and a cam plate 44 which is secured to the side member 1. The roller 43is urged downwardly by means of a spring 45 and is maintained againstaxial displacement by means of a pin 46 carried by the cam plate 44 forengagement with a circumferential groove 47 provided in the roller.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that a very simple and efiicientmechanism is provided which may bequickly attached to or incorporatedwith the mechanism of a machine requiring a feeding device such as thatdescribed with very few if any changes in the construction thereof.

The invention may be modified in construction and arrangement and modeof application withoutdeparting from the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a paper feeding mechanism, the combination of a lurality ofmembers adapted to frictiona ly engage a strip of aper or other flexiblematerial, a ratchet for intermittentl moving said members and having acylindrical portion and a pair of shoulders, a gear, a pawl carried bysaid ear for engagement with one of said shoulders, a rack disposed inintermeshing engagement with said gear, a crank for reciprocating saidrack with an accelerating and deceleratin rate of movement at thecommencement an conclusion of each stroke thereof, a yieldable stopadapted to be engaged by the other of said shoulders and to arrest therotation of said ratchet at the conclusion of each actuation thereof,and a roller detent mounted for engagement with the cylindrical portionof said ratchet to prevent the backward rotation thereof upon the returnor inactive stroke of said rack.

2. In a paper feeding mechanism, the combination of a plurality ofmembers adapted to frictionally engage a strip of paper or otherflexible material, a ratchet for intermittently moving said members andhaving a cylindrical peripher and a pair of shoulders extending theremm, a gear, a pawl operatively connected to said gear for engagementwith one of said shoulders, a rack disposed in intermeshing engagementwith said gear, means for reciprocating said rack to rotate said gearand pawl first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, saidpawl engaging one of said shoulders upon rotation of said gear in onedirection and disengaging said shoulder upon rotation in the oppositedirection, a yieldable stop adapted to be engaged by the other of saidshoulders at the conclusion of each actuation of said rack, and a rollerdetent mounted for engagement with the cylindrical portion of saidratchet and adapted to engage and lock the same to prevent reverserotation thereof at any time, said ratchet being locked against movementin any direction between said yieldable stop and said roller detent uponand durin disengagement from said pawl.

3. I n a paper feeding mechanism, the combination with a plurality ofrotatable members adapted to frictionally engage a strip of paper; of adrive means, reciprocating means operated by the drive means, a ratchetconnected to one of the rotatable members, means operatively connectingsaid reciprocating means to said ratchet to intermittently drive thesame in one direction of rotation, at. depressible stop member engagingportions of said ratchet substantially at the end of each intermittentrotation thereof, said stop member resiliently resisting the rotation ofsaid ratchet and imparting a retrograde loading on the ratchet betweenintermittent rotations thereof, and a second stop member engagingportions of said ratchet to resist retrograde movement thereof.

4. In a paper feeding mechanism, the combination with a plurality ofrotatable members adapted to frictionally engage a strip of paper, of adrive means, reciprocating means operated by the drive means, a ratchetconnected to one of the rotatable members, means operatively connectingsaid reciproeating means to said ratchet whereby said a ratchet isintermittently driven thereby in one direction of rotation, a shoulderon said ratchet, a pawl engaged by said shoulder and de ressed therebyat the end of each intermittent rotation of the ratchet, resilient meanson said pawl for resisting the depression thereof, said pawl andresilient means cooperating to resist the rotation of said ratchet andto impart a retrograde loading ment thereof.

EDWARD W. SIBLEY.

